Or Another
by shnickerdoodles
Summary: He wasn't sure what shocked him more, the fact that she wanted a baby or the fact that she didn't seem to want one with him.
1. Chapter 1

He wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. Three things he did know: his fork was still in his hand, he was pretty sure his mouth was wide open, and his Baby Girl had just told him she was going to have a baby. Derek managed to close his mouth and set his fork down before finally voicing his opinion, "What?"

Penelope was embarrassed having to say it again. "I'm going to have a baby." She watched a somewhat frightened look enter Derek's eyes and realized that she hadn't clarified that very well. "No! I'm not pregnant yet! Sorry, I didn't realize how that sounded. It's going to be by artificial insemination. I'm having the procedure done on Friday."

He still couldn't manage to get his mind around it. Earlier in the day they had been flirting furiously like they normally did and he didn't suspect a thing when she had asked him to dinner. It wasn't a unusual occurrence for them to have dinner at each other's houses. Thinking back Derek remembered that she had seemed more nervous than usual and had been fidgeting a lot. That should have been his tip off that something was wrong.

Derek slowly sat back in his chair, removing his napkin from his lap and placing it squarely on the table next to his half full plate. "Why do you think you need to do this without a man? Sweetheart, you're going to find a man who will want to have you and babies. Why now?" It made his heart squeeze painfully to think of how much pain she put herself through, believing that people couldn't love her. He loved her and would continue to love her, but this current plan of hers left him wondering how to go about it.

She loved him with all of her heart, but she knew when she was going to tell him that he wouldn't understand. It wasn't possible for a person to not think he was beautiful, but she knew that she was average at best. There wasn't much of a chance after Kevin had killed what little self-esteem she had left. "Sugarpop, I know you might not understand this, but I really, really want children and this is the only way that it will happen for me. Just think someday you'll find a girl who will give you all of the grandbabies that your mother keeps asking for, but for me this is my one chance." Saying this Penelope stood up and started clearing the table, knowing that no more food would be eaten tonight.

He followed her into the kitchen carrying food from the table, silently agreeing with her decision to end the meal. "Baby Girl, is this because of something Kevin said? You know that he was wr-" Penelope whirled around, angrier than he had seen her in a long time.

"Derek Morgan, my decision is final. You don't have the right to talk me out of this. I'm doing this for me. I am going to bring a child into this world, one way or another. If you cannot support this decision I suggest you leave."

* * *

The tension in the bullpen was palpable. Derek had been growling like a wounded bear for the past two days and nobody had a clue what was going on. They knew that he hadn't been able to talk to Penelope because everytime she walked through the bullpen she pointedly ignored him even when he tried to talk to her. On Friday, everyone got the answer to the tension when they heard a loud exclamation come from JJ's office.

Penelope had gone in to her office to talk to her and apparently said something that shocked JJ. Emily headed towards her office with Reid in tow. As they turned the corner into JJ's office they heard her exclaim "PG you have got to be kidding me! When did you make this decision?"

The boy genius standing behind Emily decided to pipe up and offer his two cents. "What decision? And what's with the yelling?" Emily turned to offer Reid a look that clearly said 'Not the time.' Reid just shrugged and waited for answer. JJ couldn't help but roll her eyes at Reid. "No Garcia here just told me that she is going for artificial insemination in a couple of hours. "

Reid's eyes were as big as saucers. "This is my cue to leave." He bolted out the door he had just recently entered, wondering why his curiosity got the better of him. Emily was frozen. "Ummm… congratulations? I think." Her capability for speech had just been drastically reduced by the announcement that one of her two best friends was going to be a mother sometime within the next year.

Penelope didn't know what to say to them. Then it hit her. This was disapproval. "Can't I just get a little support from somebody? That's all I'm asking for. I don't need approval or acceptance. Just support." With that she turned on her heel and left them both gaping after her. Now they knew why Morgan was so upset.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek knew it was a bad idea the second he decided to follow her to the clinic where this was supposed to happen. It still baffled him that she thought he didn't support her. He wanted everything in the world to be perfect for her. If this was what it took for her to be completely happy then far be it from him to discourage her. When he thought back, that was exactly what he had done. He hadn't shown her any type of the love and caring that he was so famous for, he had just questioned her motives.

That is what got him where he was, watching Penelope walk into a clinic to conceive a miracle. Derek gave her a few minutes before he got out of his car and grabbed the bouquet of mixed flowers from next to him. He had gone to florist after having looked up the meaning of the flowers he wanted to give to her. Peeking through the waiting room door to make sure that she wasn't there, he walked straight to the receptionist, feeling awkward for being there without a woman.

Giving her his biggest charm smile, Derek showed the receptionist the flowers. "I would really like to leave these for Penelope Garcia. They're supposed to be a surprise for her. Could you make sure that she gets these once her appointment is over?" He knew he was laying it on thick, but when the he saw the look the woman had in her eyes he was positive that Penelope would get them. Leaving the clinic Derek mused that the ball was in her court. He had stepped up and done something, now it was her turn to show him that they were still best friends if nothing else.

* * *

She couldn't help but smile. Penelope Garcia, future mother. It was a title that she loved hearing. Lying on her back in this sterile environment did nothing to damper her happiness. What did make her smile dim was the fact that Derek wasn't there. That had been her main goal when she had invited him to dinner a few days before, to ask him to come with her for support. That word kept popping up in her head and it made her think of what the single mother's website she had looked at said. All of the women expressed a desire for some form of support and it made her wonder if she was going to spend the rest of her life in the same manner.

She was startled when the door suddenly opened and the nurse came in with flowers in her hand. "You can go ahead and stand up now. The doctor said that you are okay to go home. Make sure you have all the necessary documents the doctor gave you. And a man dropped these off for you a little while ago. He wanted to make sure that you received them." The nurse flashed Penelope a smile and left her to get dressed.

Penelope smiled and lifted the flowers to smell them. The combination of different flowers made an incredible perfume to cheer her up. As she got dressed she noticed that the card had fallen out of the flowers when the nurse had given them to her. With a small grin on her face she picked the card up and what it said made her eyes water. _Hey Baby Girl, Look up the meaning of these flowers. You and that little miracle deserve them. D_

She gathered her belonging and walked to her car, trying desperately to keep from launching into ecstatic giggles. Her best friend had finally come around! As Penelope was about to back her car out she noticed that she had missed a call while in her appointment. Putting the car back into park, she grabbed her phone and listened to the message. "_I know you got the flowers Sweetheart. Don't do anything before you look up the meaning. Then you can thank me. Love you. Oh and don't forget the color of the paper they're in_." She could hear the smirk in his voice, knowing that he had her scrambling.

Thanking God that she had purchased the smart phone that everyone else had laughed at she quickly looked the flowers up in order: Daisies for innocence, jasmine for grace and elegance, stargazer lilies for ambition, black-eyed susan's for encouragement, and hyacinth for sincerity. When she looked up the color orange, the color of the paper, she burst into tears at the meaning: support.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek had been sitting on the couch doing paperwork, anticipating Penelope's imminent arrival. It took all he had to not leap off the living room couch when he heard a car pull up in his driveway. He had made those first steps, but she had to make the critical few back to him. The one thing he couldn't contain was the grin on his face when he heard her fumbling with her keys in the front door, so excited that she kept dropping them.

As soon as the door was opened he stood up to greet her and found his arms full of Penelope. She almost had him in a chokehold and was talking so fast he had to pry her arms from around his neck. "Mama, you have to slow down or else I'm not going to be able to understand what you're saying. There's this thing called diction. It would really help right now," he said with a cocky smile.

Penelope couldn't help but smack him on the arm at his sarcastic comment. It was something she had so missed in the past few days. "Hey my chocolate Adonis, you made me so happy with the flowers I couldn't wait to come thank you for them. I would cook you dinner as a thank you, but I think you might like your kitchen a bit too much to allow that." She couldn't help herself and had to wrap her arms around his neck for another enthusiastic hug before detaching herself completely.

He pulled her to the couch to sit down and moved his papers so he could sit on the coffee table in front of her. "Baby Girl," her smile grew a little bit brighter at his term of endearment, " I'm so sorry I wasn't being your best friend and helping you through this. I know that you forgive me now, but I just have to say I'm sorry that I wouldn't even listen. You deserved that much from me."

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Yes handsome, I do forgive you. I can kind of understand why you freaked a bit. I mean out of the blue I announce that I'm going to have a baby. You've asked me before if I want children and when we had that conversation last year about what my kids would look like and it got me thinking. Now my thoughts are a reality." Her excitement was so contagious that the smile Derek beamed back at her gave her the feeling that this baby was both of theirs instead of just hers.

A month later when Penelope came bouncing into the bullpen, Derek knew exactly what she was excited about. Today had been her appointment and guessing by the smile on her face things had gone well. Penelope hopped onto his desk and smacked a kiss on his cheek. "Hey sugar, guess who's got a bun in the oven?"

If he could have blushed, he would have. "Pen, do you really want the whole world knowing that you're pregnant? I mean you just found out yourself and that book said that you're supposed to wait until after the first trimester to start telling people." He stood up to hug her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Just knowing that she was creating a life, even if it wasn't with him, awed him.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "You read those books? Why would you do that honey?" He inclined his head. "I don't intend to let you do this alone. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't know what to expect when his best friend is expecting?" At this she couldn't contain her giggles.

* * *

The next month passed in much the same manner. She got more and more excited about showing and wondering what her cravings were going to be. Derek was excited for her, knowing that she was going to be a great mother and hoping that he would be able to give her the help she needed.

Derek was on his way to her house one night for dinner when he realized that she had never said who her donor was. He had no idea who the father of the baby was. When he pulled up in front of her apartment he sat in his car a moment, pondering how to go about asking her. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to ask her, but when she opened the door to let him into the apartment the first thing out of his mouth was "Who was the donor?"

Penelope had to resist the urge to slam the door back in his face. "Wow handsome what a way to say hi to your best friend. Why don't you come in?" She walked toward the kitchen leaving the door open behind her for Derek. He followed behind her, just managing not to slam the door at his stupid question.

"Baby Girl, I'm sorry I asked that. I do really want to know and I should have been a little bit more tactful going about it." He gave her his best apologetic look across the breakfast bar. His look managed to soften her a bit and she came around the bar to squeeze him around the middle. "It's okay hotness. Go ahead, pick a movie out and get comfortable. I'll bring dinner in a minute."

Following her directions Derek picked out her favorite movie and toed his shoes off, collapsing on the couch. While the previews were playing he noticed a folder on her coffee table and it looked suspiciously like medical charts. He _knew_ that he shouldn't be snooping through her things, but he couldn't stop his hand from flipping the folder open. What he saw shocked him beyond belief. Penelope walked in carrying two plates of lasagna in her hands. "Penelope, would you mind explaining this?"


	4. Chapter 4

Penelope knew that her face had lost all of its color. There was no way he was supposed to find out about this, but rushing to get ready for Derek to come over she had forgotten to put the file away. Cursing her stupidity, she tried to set the plates down on the coffee table as calmly as possible. "Well sugar it's exactly what it looks like."

In his hand Derek was holding a picture of a man who looked very similar to him. When he had opened the folder, it took all of his strength not to yell for her and at her. While he was excited at what this could possibly mean, he was more hurt at the fact that she couldn't tell him. Trying to remain completely calm was taxing, but he tried his best while she tried to formulate a way to explain.

Deciding that the only way to tell this without crying would be to say everything important all at once. They always said that honesty was the best policy, but no one ever said how painful it was. "I picked him out of a book of about four hundred guys because he's the closest I could get to perfection. I wanted him to look like you because I love you. Even if I can't have you or a small piece, the best I can get is someone who reminds me of you. I _knew_ that if I told you it would probably end up badly because you don't think of me in that way and me having your children would most likely gross you out and –"

He held up his hand to stop her. "Honey, there is nothing more I want than to be with you. After all this time you should know that. I haven't dated anyone in a year and a half. What confuses me is why you didn't say anything? I thought you were going to ask me when you had me over for dinner, but I was so completely shocked that the donor question never crossed my mind." For Derek just thinking about her stomach gently rounded with his child and glowing with pregnancy made his heart squeeze. He took her hand and brought it to his face, placing a kiss in her palm. "Why did you do this?"

It wasn't the questions or the look that he gave her, but the kiss that was her undoing. "Well Derek since I poured my heart out to you and all you can ask is why then I think that the time has come for you to leave." She pulled her hand from him and stood motioning to the door. "So much for all the love and support I've seen from you in the past month. Apparently it was all just an act. From what I see hear you don't even care. So leave."

To his credit he had remained calm up until now, but this is what finally made him enraged. He surged off the couch to face off with her. "Now I know that I'm not supposed to stress out a pregnant woman, but jeez. You won't even give me a chance to say anything. So whatever you profess to feel for me might not exist like you say my love doesn't exist. Never once have I give you reason to question how I feel, friendship or otherwise. So think about that while I go cool off." Penelope just watched the love of her life stomp out of the room with tears in her eyes.

As he walked out the door the only thing she could think of to say was "I love you too."

* * *

The dinner on the table had long gone cold, but she couldn't help but stare at it dejectedly. Penelope had been sitting there for almost an hour trying to decide if that had been an argument or a very passionate expression of feeling on both of their behalves. She finally gave up and stood from the couch. As she walked towards her bedroom she snatched the plates from the table and threw them into the garbage as she passed, plate and all. It didn't matter; they were IKEA. There was always more where they came from.

Mindlessly she stripped out of her clothing, leaving everything where it fell. She went through her nightly routine and slipped between the sheets of her bed. Penelope was mentally exhausted, but her eyes wouldn't close. All she could do was stare at her retro alarm clock, which alerted her to the fact that it was only ten o'clock at night. She could have snorted when she realized that this was the earliest she had ever gone to bed without being sick in the past decade. She grimaced as she felt a light pain in her back and rolled over to her other side. Whatever she had to do to fall asleep she would and if it meant that she was going to flip like a fish in a frying pan then so be it.

About four and a half hours later she shot awake. It had taken Penelope some time to fall asleep, but when she had her eyes had felt like lead weights. As she wondered why she was awake there was a sudden sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Penelope groaned and threw back the covers to roll out of bed. When she did she noticed the blood on her sheets. Her face instantly lost color and she did the only thing she could think to do. She called 911.

* * *

By the time Derek had arrived home, he was still slightly mad, but mostly annoyed at the fact that after all of this time his Baby Girl still didn't believe in his love. He slammed around his bedroom a bit after taking a shower, trying to find a pair of sweats that she hadn't worn at one point. He eventually gave up and yanked on the Chicago Bears sweats that she had gotten for him the Christmas before. Walking into his kitchen, he made sure that his phone was on and charged in case of any cases, swiped a beer from the fridge and headed for the couch.

Derek randomly flipped channels until he found some action movie that didn't have any romantic aspect. Once the movie was over, another began and he decided to settle in for the marathon. He wasn't going to be getting any sleep in his bed tonight so he might as well try to be semi-productive. Halfway through the second movie, he began to fall asleep on the couch. As he slid down to get more comfortable he checked once more to make sure his phone was on and passed out in record time.

However comfortable he was on the couch, Derek was jerked out of his sleep a short forty minutes later. His phone was ringing loudly and it was a generic ringtone; not someone he knew. Groaning he sat up and groggily answered the phone. "Morgan."

"Mr. Morgan, this is the head nurse at George Washington University Hospital. You're listed as the emergency contact for Penelope Garcia. She was just brought in by the ambulance. She told the medical technicians that she's having a miscarriage."


	5. Chapter 5

Derek had made record time getting to the hospital. He wasn't so much afraid of losing her, as he was scared that she hadn't felt she could call him. She had to know that he would always be there for her. Yes, he had done things in the past to make her question that, but in her heart she had to know. Getting to the hospital, he parked and quickly ran toward the entrance. The nurse at the front desk directed him to the third floor. As he came upon her room, Derek screeched to a halt outside. Never had he ever thought that he would be in this situation again. Going into a hospital room with Penelope Garcia in it was not his idea of a good time.

Penelope sat there staring blankly at the wall. Her body had rejected her baby. Now even nature wouldn't let her have a baby. She didn't acknowledge Derek as he calmly walked into her room. Without asking, he toed off his shoes and climbed into the hospital bed next to her. What threw him off is when she started to giggle. Confused he lifted his head from its resting place on hers and looked down at her. "Hey Baby Girl, what's so funny?" Her giggles were turning into full-fledged laughing. "Come on, Penelope. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

Penelope's laughter dissolved into sobbing. "Just had the thought that this is my punishment for wanting something I shouldn't have." Hearing her cry almost tore him apart. He couldn't do much for her except hug her tightly to his chest. She continued to cry for the next hour. When the nurse came in to check on her she raised an eyebrow at Derek. "How long has she been like this?" Not wanting to disturb her, he shrugged slightly.

The nurse left and returned a few moments later. "She's going to be given a slight sedative. Once she's asleep the doctor would like to speak with you." Derek acknowledged this and moved so the nurse could give Penelope the injection. As soon as the tears stopped and her breathing eased, Derek slowly came off the bed. The nurse stopped him at the door. "The doctor will meet you at the nurses station at the end of the hall."

As he walked toward the station the nurse has specified, he felt a couple of hot tears work their way silently down his face. Derek noticed the doctor waiting for him and quickly wiped away the evidence. "Mr. Morgan? My name is Dr. Haver. I'm Penelope's obstetrician. She told me earlier that you could know everything."

Derek nodded his head. "Yes, I am her medical proxy. The one big question I have is why? Why did she lose this baby?" Everything inside of him wanted to hit something or someone. "I'm sorry I'm just really angry that this happened."

The doctor nodded understandingly. He had seen couples go through this many times. "Mr. Morgan, the way you're feeling now is understandable. Now the reason I wanted to speak with you is because I need to know if she has anybody who she lives with or who she can stay with. I'm not talking about the emotional aspects, but there are physical changes that will be hard to deal with." He handed Derek some pamphlets that detailed what she would be going through, physically and emotionally.

Derek looked completely baffled and overwhelmed. Dr. Haver looked at him sympathetically. "I'm assuming that you'll be staying with her." He waited for the dazed nod. "You're going to need a few basics: a hot water and super absorbent pads. She cannot stay alone for at least next month. Her next period will be a little harder to deal with. I'm also giving you a prescription to fill for birth control. Everything else is going to be emotional, and I'm sure you'll figure that out."

If he had been overwhelmed before, his head was spinning now. He held his hand out to the doctor. "Thank you. I'll make sure everything is together. When can she be discharged?" This question made the doctor grin. He could tell that all of the information had been a bit much to take in at once, but he had kept his head well.

"As soon as she wakes up you can both go home." Derek gave the doctor as strong a smile as he could muster. There was so much for him to get ready, but he knew Penelope would be well taken care of.

* * *

Penelope opened her eyes and expected to feel the warmth of Derek right next to her. What she did feel was a light squeeze on her hand. "Hey sweetheart. Are you ready to go home?" He gave her one of his million-watt smiles to reassure her. She couldn't bring herself to smile back at him. Looking at him she knew her eyes were blank. They had to stay that way or else Derek would know exactly how much pain she was in.

"I can go home?" Penelope was completely exhausted and wanted nothing to do with her apartment. Telling this to Derek wasn't something she was planning on doing. She would let him drop her off and then go find a hotel until she could find another apartment. "Okay stud muffin. Get me to my inner sanctum."

* * *

He was so glad when she fell asleep again in the car. If she found out that Derek wasn't taking her to her apartment then he would be in for a hell of a tongue-lashing. He was taking her to the house he had just finished building. Everything was ready to be painted and the house wasn't really furnished, but it was a ways out of town and she could be comfortable there. He was so tired and couldn't wait to get to bed. Derek knew the next day would be hell for her and he wanted to get some sleep. Not having slept in over 32 hours really took its toll.

As he finally arrived at the house, he opened the gate and proceeded down the long driveway. Derek parked in front of the house and went around to remove Penelope from the car. She stirred slightly when he picked her up. "Derek, where are we?" He placed her in bed and wrapped the quilt around her. "We're home, Baby Girl."

* * *

Penelope woke up the next morning with an arm around her waist, not knowing where she was. As she sat up on her elbows, his arm moved from her waist and he snuggled closer to her side. This was almost enough to make her smile. She made to stand up to find the bathroom and she felt an intense pain in her lower abdomen. Ignoring this as a cramp, she placed her feet on the floor, standing up.

"Ouch!" She collapsed back onto the bed. This sudden noise and interruption woke Derek from his sleep. He shot out of bed and came around to her side. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"It hurts," she whimpered. At this Derek sprung into action; he knew exactly what to do, having read the pamphlets thoroughly. He rustled through the bags he had gotten the day before and pulled out the large hot water bottle and the pads. Handing her the pad, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Go put that on and I'll get your water bottle."

Penelope slowly limped into the bathroom and when she returned to the bedroom he was there to help her back into bed. "Lie down, Baby Girl. You have to take these pills and then you can relax." Once she was settled into the bed, he crawled into bed behind her and spooned her body. He draped an arm around her waist to hold the water bottle to her lower stomach.

Nothing was said between the two for a long while. They lay there content and mostly exhausted. The water bottle had eventually cooled, but Derek didn't want to get up and leave her. He eventually replaced the bottle with his hand, helping to ease the ache somewhat. Penelope didn't ask for food and he never pushed her. When the sun hit the opposite horizon, Derek knew that he had to feed her something.

He slid out from behind her and went to the kitchen to make some simple food. Quickly, Derek assembled the eggs and toast. Taking it back to Penelope, he almost dropped it when he saw her. She had sat up against the headboard and curled her knees against her chest. There were silent tears on her face. He gently sat the food down on the floor next to the bed, sitting in front of her. "Honey, when you eat this, you can get the hot water bottle back and go to bed."

She nodded and began to eat. Derek came back with the water bottle and climbed back into bed snuggling up to him and wrapping his arm around her middle. Penelope instantly fell back asleep while he stayed awake for a lot longer, thinking.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews and sorry for not updating sooner. School is hectic and trying to get into nursing school is even harder. Thanks for understanding. =)

She stayed completely silent for the following day. It was only when Derek was getting ready to go to bed and closing up the house that she began to talk. " I should have known that this was going to happen." Actually hearing her voice startled Derek. He was beginning to think that she wouldn't speak again. Making sure that the house was locked and safe, he climbed into bed next to her.

Penelope rolled over to face him, lacing her fingers through his. She was going to need the strength if she was going to tell him the whole story. Something about getting it all out and it not being daylight appealed to her. "Did the doctor tell you exactly why I miscarried?" He shook his head no. "Well my blood Rh was different from my baby's blood Rh, so my body destroyed the baby." Hearing this shocked Derek, and he squeezed her hand comfortably.

"Why did that happen? Not every woman's body attacks their baby? Why you?" Penelope gave him a sad smile. "It's because of the last pregnancy I had." If Derek was shocked before, he was floored now. _She had been pregnant before? Why didn't he know this?_

It was as if she could read his mind. Penelope sat up, still holding his hand, to rest back against the headboard with Derek. "When my parents died, I didn't immediately fall into my computers. Originally I started partying. At one of these parties I met Jason. We didn't fall in love with each other, but we fell into bed. We had great sex and he was good at comforting me. There was nothing more." She stopped for a second to prepare herself for what she had to say next. "All that falling into bed got me pregnant."

Derek squeezed her hand again as she continued. "When my brothers found out they were furious. They wanted me to have an abortion. I tried talking to Jason about it, but by the time I had figured it out he had moved on to another party girl. I was so overwhelmed that it took me a couple days to figure out what I wanted. Once I figured it out it seemed so simple. I started hacking, making enough money to pay for my parents' funeral and medical bills. This was my big plan to support me and the baby."

She paused again to take a deep breath. "I was seven and a half months pregnant when I was arrested. I had wanted to prove that I could hack a government agency and they found me out." With tears in her eyes she stood up to walk away from the bed and begin her pacing. "They had me at the FBI building for two days when I went into labor. I ended up in labor for 16 hours and Katherine Elizabeth Garcia was born."

Penelope stopped her pacing and looked at him with tearful eyes. "Katie was only alive for 2 days. When she was born her lungs hadn't had time to develop and it weakened her heart. They tried to keep her alive, but she wasn't strong enough." The pacing resumed.

Derek watched her pacing reach a frantic rate. He got up off the bed and stood in her path, stopping her with a hug. Holding her for just a moment, he scooped her up bridal style and placed her into bed. He ended up holding her until they both fell asleep.

* * *

Penelope woke up the next morning nose to nose with her Adonis. She couldn't see the strain on his face while he was sleeping, but during the day she knew that the wrinkle was firmly planted between his eyebrows. Nothing pained her more than hurting him. Without disturbing him, Penelope slipped out of bed to go explore the house. She hadn't been very aware when he brought her there and her mood hadn't exactly been conducive to talking.

She had surprised herself by talking last night. The only other person who knew was JJ and even then she had been told the bare minimum. Kevin had never known about Katherine and she wasn't planning on telling him. That had been one thing that had tipped her off to the fact that they wouldn't last. She told Derek things that Kevin would have never heard in a million years.

Contemplating this Penelope grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and headed towards the patio doors. The gorgeous French doors showed off a rough backyard that promised so much. One thing that Derek had made sure to do was finish the deck so that if people did come over there would be a place to sit outside. Wrapping the throw around her shoulders, she sank onto the chaise lounge and curled into the warm microfiber of the blanket. This was the one place that she wanted to have her coffee in the morning for the rest of her life. Looking out at the backyard and the small pond near the trees was so relaxing.

* * *

Derek shot awake. Something had alerted him to the fact that Penelope wasn't there. Panicked, he pulled on his jeans and bolted from the master suite into the living room. Seeing her sitting on the chaise lounge helped to alleviate his heart attack. Smiling to himself Derek walked into the kitchen to start the coffee.

The sound of the porch doors opening made Penelope jump. She had gotten up early and hadn't expected him to be up so soon after her. Seeing Derek shirtless still made her pulse jump, but she immediately felt guilty for thinking that afterwards. She had no right to be thinking about sex or anything related to it.

He handed her coffee and motioned her to slide forward. When Penelope gave him a questioning look, he responded with "Just do it sweetness." She slid forward and Derek settled behind her and pulled her back against his chest. This was how he wanted to spend every morning for the rest of his life.


	7. Chapter 7

At first she relaxed against Derek's chest, but the more she thought the more Penelope tensed up. He immediately felt the change and the furrow reappeared on his forehead. "Baby Girl, what's wrong? Are you hurting?" He looked pulled the blanket away from her to see if she was holding her stomach. When he moved his arms from around her she moved to the very edge of the lounge. Something in the back of his head told Derek that something was very wrong. Deciding to let it go for the moment, he set his coffee aside and grabbed her hand.

"Pen, I have to go in to work today for a while, but I don't want you to be bored. So I have a proposition for you. Look around this house and tell me what you think. Explore the rooms because I want you to decorate them for me." His statement rendered her speechless. She had work to do to and she couldn't spend all day looking at wallpaper and bedspreads.

"Derek, I have to go to work. And even if I could stay here, our styles are nothing alike. You wouldn't be able to survive living with my colors and me. We're just not compatible. I can also go back to my apartment. I don't have to keep cramping your lifestyle. Don't worry about me. I've been by myself awhile and I think I'll be by myself for a while longer." Penelope abruptly stood and stormed through the doors, heading for the master suite.

For a few moments he sat there completely stunned. Derek knew that she was having issues with the pregnancy thing and that was understandable, but never before had she taken her anger out on him. For one thing he didn't even know what his Baby Girl was angry about. He followed her into the bedroom and saw her grabbing her clothes from the drawer he had placed them in. "You can't leave Sweetness. The doctor said you have to stay with someone and I'm not gonna let you leave. Think of this as staying at the spa for a while."

She whirled on him, flinging her shirts on the bed. "Well I need to work. I bet Hotch will understand that I need to be doing something." With a triumphant huff she turned around to continue packing. Derek resigned himself to watching her flail for the time being.

"Nope, Hotch was the one who told me to keep you home for a while." He leaned against the doorway crossing his arms. This was kind of entertaining for him when he knew that he would win this battle, hands down.

His statement caused Garcia to stop and turn to plop onto the bed. "Well hell."

Penelope was sorely tempted to make his house look like a third rate bordello. After thinking about it she realized that Derek would like it because she said she liked it, even if she was lying. The design books and samples were taunting her from the dresser as she sat on his bed. Her fingers itched to open them and peruse her options. With a huff she stood from the bed and walked to the dresser. Pausing there a moment Penelope glared at the books and continued through the doorway. If she was going to do this then she had to at least look around the house first. Not that she was actually considering this or anything.

* * *

After wandering the house, she sat on the bed once again in deep thought. Why had there been one door that was locked? She had gone through all of the rooms and had drooled. Derek must have been a mind reader because this antebellum-style house had Penelope written all over it. Deep in her mind she knew that with her time off and the opportunity presenting itself she would decorate this place for him, but the locked room continued to plague her mind.

* * *

Derek felt guilty leaving Garcia alone at the house. He didn't have to go to work. That bald-faced lie is something that she would have normally seen straight through, but she had been so mad at him that she had missed it. The errand that dragged him from home was something much more fun. Puppies.

A friend of his had a boxer that had just given birth to four puppies. Derek knew that she was yearning for something to take care of and if it couldn't be a baby then a puppy was the next best thing for her. He looked at the passenger seat at the wiped out puppy that hadn't stopped crying until twenty minutes before. His heart had melted when he saw them and he knew that hers would too. His woman had a soft spot for babies of all species.

The thought of her face when she saw her gift kept him smiling as he turned into his driveway. While he was out he had picked Clooney up from the dog sitters and he knew that he was feeling a little neglected having to sit in the back of Derek's truck while the puppy got to sit inside. Clooney had been very curious and understanding of the puppy earlier though, so he didn't think they would have any problems.

Derek parked the truck and scooped the puppy up in one hand. It was so small and when he picked the little girl up she had immediately woken up and started wiggling to be put down. He let out a little chuckle at her enthusiasm and set her down on the grass to go potty while he let Clooney out of the back. Picking her up again he made his way to the front door. "Hey Baby Girl you gotta come see this!"

When he didn't receive an answer he made his way down the hall to the master. Seeing Penelope asleep on the bed made him smile even more and he set the squirming puppy on the bed. The puppy quickly hopped over to where Penelope was sleeping and began to lick her face. It wouldn't be long until she woke up.


End file.
